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Not a Single Student Member in DU Academic Council Since the Last 10 Years

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An RTI has uncovered that the highest academic body of the University of Delhi, Academic Council, has not seen a single student as a member in the last 10 years.

Advocate Mohit Kumar Gupta’s RTI reply as received from the Delhi University read that “No student member has ever been elected/ nominated in the last ten years and even presently, there is no student representative in the Academic Council.” It further mentioned that no amendments have been made to the varsity’s Academic Council’s statute 7(I) (xiii), which would have introverted the membership of students in the Council.

The highest academic body of the varsity, Academic Council, is responsible for the preservation of standards of instruction, education, and examination within the University. In a statement made to the Sunday Guardian, Rocky Tusheed, President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) said, “Ever since 2010, we have been trying to put this across to the administration, but nothing seems to have worked so far. Universities are for students and it is very unfortunate that there is a lack of representation of students in a body that decides their own future.” DUSU has been preparing a Students’ Charter in consultation with all the student bodies of the varsity that would include the demand for representation of students in the Academic Council.

The Vice-Chancellor, Principals of various colleges, Deans and Director of School of Open Learning and South Campus, and the Registrar are also intended to be members of the DU’s Academic Council apart from students.

 

Feature Image Credits: Sharda University

Oorja Tapan 
[email protected]

 

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NSUI-led DUSU Launches Students’ Charter

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In an exceptional initiative, the NSUI-led Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), in consultation with the University of Delhi, has drafted a Students’ Charter that seeks to enable students to exercise their rights. The draft of the Charter was launched at a program held from 11 a.m. on 23rd January, 2018 at Ramjas College, in the presence of DUSU President Rocky Tusseed, Vice President Kunal Sehrawat, and AICC Secretary Ruchi Gupta besides others.

On being asked about the motive behind this momentous move, Ruchi Gupta, who is also the NSUI National In-Charge said, “The NSUI had fought the elections on the premise of two promises. One, restoring free speech, critical thinking and academic autonomy; the other, defining the democratic role of student unions in the governance of universities. Now, we want to take that forward by ensuring that there is free speech within the University.”
In the backdrop of the conflicting relationship between the students and university administrations across the country, this draft charter provides hope of reconciliation between the two, and provides a framework for the University to develop and improve its services.
The draft of the Charter is divided into 2 sections. One contains the Fundamental Rights of students that the University must recognise. The second contains the Directive Principles, which, although unenforceable by a court of law, are significant for the University administration. While the former notably includes the right to have an environment free from sexual and mental harassment, the noteworthy point in the latter is the guidelines for the University to provide accurate information to the students about its statutes, methods of assessment, and attendance requirements amongst other regulations.

On being asked about the future course of action, DUSU Vice-President Kunal Sehrawat assured, “We will be in consultation with DU colleges and will take feedback from the students. With their support, we will approach the VC for his endorsement. Once this charter is passed by the DUSU, we will take it to all the other universities to create a spirited learning atmosphere across the country.”

 

Feature Image credits: Anushesh Sharma

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak [email protected]

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DUSU Plans to form the Delhi University Students’ Charter

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In a press conference that took place on 17th January, Rocky Tuseed, President of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), announced that DUSU is in the process of developing the Delhi University Students’ Charter.

The Students’ Charter, as conceived by NSUI-led Delhi University Students’ Union will be formed after rounds of consultation with the students, faculty, and administration of Delhi University. The consultation process is set to begin from 23rd of January, and the Charter is expected to be finalised by March.

The objective of the Charter is ‘to lay down the minimum expectations of students and administration vis-à-vis each other. It illustrates the entitlements and responsibilities of both, as well as provides a framework for the University to develop and improve its services.’

The proposed Charter is to be structured in two parts: Directive Principles for colleges and Fundamental rights of students.

There are a total of 30 Fundamental rights of students, which include the availability of transparent and online college budget, access to an active placement cell, and discrimination-free environment.

The Charter also has stated 18 Directive Principles for colleges. Some of these Directive Principles are: offer professional counseling services to students, provide mark sheet within a stipulated time period, hold orientation programmes to help students acquaint themselves with the University system, etc.

Rocky Tuseed said, ‘We hope to craft this Charter in such a way that it becomes an example for Universities across India to form similar legislation. We also hope that this initiative will form the basis of a state and national Students Rights Act and Students Rights Commission.’ When asked about the absence of the Secretary and Joint Secretary of DUSU, who belong to Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), from this initiative, he added, “We invited them, but they did not involve themselves.’

 

Feature Image Credits: UC Lan

Niharika Dabral
[email protected]

 

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Delhi University Students’ Union Launches Gender Sensitisation Cell

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Yesterday, on 15th January, the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) launched a Gender Sensitisation Cell (GSC). Rocky Tuseed, President of DUSU, is set to act as the Chairman, while Narayani Anand, a student of Campus Law Center, is announced as the Convener. The GSC will be operated from the DUSU office space at Chhatra Marg in the North Campus.

The aim of this initiative is to ‘represent and raise the voice of students who suffer any act of sexual harassment or gender discrimination’, ‘ hold interaction with students to create awareness about gender discrimination and remedies available to curb it’, ‘take preventive steps to curb eve-teasing’, and ‘create a healthy and safe atmosphere in the university for people of all genders, especially women and transgenders.’

The GSC, that is still in at the early stage of consolidation plans to work in sync with Women’s Development Cell (WDC), Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), National Commission for Women (NCW), and sexual harassment committees of various colleges. The GSC will also provide legal aid to the aggrieved students.

The recruitment of the members GSC has started. The selection process comprises of an online application that is to be filled through a Google form, and an interview. According to the application form, ‘the selected members will be expected to assist in planning, development, and execution of activities for the promotion of DU-GSC’s objectives.’

You can find the application here. 

Narayani Anand, the Convener of Gender Sensitisation Cell, informed DU Beat that the communication and grievance redressal channels will be open from the next month. She also said that co-conveners will be chosen from the students shortlisted after the interview, that is, from among the members itself.

Questions have been raise against Rocky Tuseed’s nomination as the Chainman of the cell. Accoding to the regulations the University Grants Commission, only women can head Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) and Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). When asked about this contradiction, Tuseed tol DU Beat, ‘My role would only entail the overseeing of the cell. The active role will be that of the convener. I will merely oversee the functioning of the cell as a DUSU representative. It will be a 50 member committee with mostly women and transgender members.’

Sexual harassment and discrimination against the members of the transgender community have prevailed in the University of Delhi for a long time. Despite the remarkable work of the feminist groups in the campus the incidents of pervasive sexism keep emerging. In this environment, DUSU’s this move is extremely important and commendable. However, owing to the history of DUSU-led initiatives, suspicion about the effectiveness and the sincerity of this Cell are bound to rise. Whether or not the GSC will be able to serve its purpose can only be established in a few months.

 

Image Credits: She The People

Niharika Dabral

[email protected]

 

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DUSU EC Results Announced, Amidst Much Ruckus

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Elections of the Executive Committee of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) saw major unrest after a voter, Gaurav Sharma, a central council member of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, alleged that somebody had forged his signature and voted on his behalf. When he complained to the authority then, instead of taking the matter seriously, his complaint was dismissed his claims and he was asked to leave the Conference Centre (voting venue).

Soon Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the National Students’ Union of India  (NSUI) got the whiff of the matter which led to a scuffle between police and students that resulted in minor property damage. DUSU President and NSUI member Rocky Tuseed and DUSU Secretary Mahamedhaa Nagar, who is from ABVP, asked authorities to allow the voter to cast his vote, but their request was refused.Election officer Rajeev Gupta forwarded the complaints of bogus voting to the DU Grievance Cell and further action will now depend on Grievance Cell’s decision.

A glass door was broken during the scuffle. Image Credits: The Indian Express
A glass door was broken during the scuffle.
Image Credits: The Indian Express

The results were announced on 27th November. ABVP asserted that they secured eight out of the 11 posts,   NSUI announced the win in five of 11 seats. Since there are only 11 candidates in total, which means that both ABVP and NSUI are staking claims on two winners. These two candidates are Naveen Yadav from Motilal Nehru College and Vaibhav Bansal from Rajdhani College. Naveen Yadav identifies as an independent candidate who personally supports NSUI and Vaibhav Bansal has had affiliations with ABVP.

The DUSU EC has 11 members who are chosen from presidents and central councillors of various college unions. Constitution of DUSU ensures that at least two out of 11 EC members should be girls. The Executive Committee is entrusted with an important task of proposing the DUSU annual budget which is then sent to the Central Council for approval.

A total of 146 people including all members of DUSU voted in the EC elections. Initially 18 candidates contested for 11 EC seats, but in the end only 14 contested owing to the withdrawal of nominations. In this sense, one can say that the selection process wasn’t very competitive in terms of numbers.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

(With inputs from The Indian Express and Hindustan Times)

Niharika Dabral

[email protected]

 

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DUSU President Appeals for the Suspension of Classes Amid Pollution

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Rocky Tuseed, the President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), appealed to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi (DU) to suspend all classes till Sunday in the wake of alarming levels of pollution in Delhi.

In a letter to Mr. Yogesh Tyagi, Tuseed expressed concern over the effect of the pollution on the health of the students, especially as the semester examinations are about to begin. He also referred to the Lt. Governor’s order that demanded restricted entry of trucks, cessation of all construction activity, and the shutdown of schools in the city till Sunday, saying that a similar order needs to be in place for the DU students. A request for a joint meeting of the administration and the student body was also made in the letter.

Pollution has hit a record high of 478 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi. The return of the odd-even scheme is also being contemplated by the state government, which was to be resumed only if the AQI exceeded 500 points. However, the severity of the current situation has prompted the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to advice the government to re-start the scheme. So far, the call by the Indian Medical Association to declare a public health emergency has also been resisted, despite the problems caused by the smog in terms of vision and respiratory issues.

It is absolutely imperative that keeping these short-term fixes aside long-term policy actions are taken by the government to improve the state of the city’s air. The general public needs to give its full and unequivocal support towards making the city better for all of us to live in. It is truly infuriating that it has taken a crisis of such a scale for people to realise that the environment we live in needn’t be annihilated for satisfying human greed.

 

Image Caption: Record high levels of pollution have already led to the shutdown of schools.

Image Credits: India.com

Rishika Singh

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Delhi HC asks authorities for a plan on defacement of public property

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The Delhi High Court on Monday directed various authorities — including the Delhi Police, DMRC, MCDs, DU vice-chancellor, Union Home ministry, winning candidates of DUSU polls, the dean of students’ welfare, and the petitioner in the case of preventing defacement of public property during Delhi University Student Union election campaigning – to convene a meeting in order to devise a plan of action.

The court has also asked the winning candidates to place an action plan on how they proposed to clean the area and how future elections would be conducted. A bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued the order while hearing the plea filed by advocate Prashant Manchanda, as reported by The Indian Express.

On Monday, the elected student representatives — including DUSU president Rocky Tuseed and vice-president Kunal Sehrawat — were in court. Stating that many of the defaced properties bore his name, the bench sought an explanation from Rocky. Counsel for Rocky told the court that they had carried out cleanliness drives in the North and South campuses — with the help of students and NGOs — to remove the graffiti and spray paint, irrespective of which candidate or political party had carried out the defacement.

The plea highlighted defacement of public property in Delhi University, properties within the jurisdiction of the MCDs and the Delhi Metro. It added that it was next to impossible to completely remove the defacement. The bench then directed the authorities to file a report of the meeting — to be held on 27th October at 3 pm at the dean’s office — on the next date of hearing on 28th November.

The bench has further said that defacement of public property was a cognizable offence, punishable with 10 years in jail. Rocky and the other candidates assured the bench that they would not do so in future.

 

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Ankita Dhar Karmakar
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Rocky Tuseed barred from entering DUSU office

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The elected president of DUSU has been barred for now from entering the office. On Thursday, he was told that the university will have to take legal opinion before he can take charge as DUSU president after a criminal case against him came to light. The case dates back to a complaint made on August 6, 2014, by a final-year student of Shivaji College, Bhagat Singh, who alleged that he was beaten with a “wooden stick” by Tuseed and his three associates. The varsity, however, asked the other three office-bearers to collect the keys for their respective offices.

Tuseed, along with his supporters protested at proctor’s office and attempted convincing that the court order does not mention that he should be withheld from taking over as the president.
The proctor’s office maintained they will not act till there are consultations with the university’s legal team. The arguments on framing of charges in the 2014 case against Tuseed will take place on October 16.
The 2014 complaint, filed at the Rajouri Garden police station, alleged that Singh had been “present in his college during the presidential election and some students were conducting a meeting”. According to the complaint, when Singh was leaving his college “he was stopped at the red light outside Shivaji College” by one of Tuseed’s associates.
It added that “minutes after stopping him”, three other men, including Tuseed, “reached the spot and hit him with a wooden stick”. Singh alleged that he had “received multiple injuries on his body and head”. “Police was informed and the man was taken to DDU hospital, where he was discharged after first-aid.
Police also arrived and recorded Singh’s statement. On the basis of Singh’s complaint, a case was registered under sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 323 (causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 of the IPC,” a senior police officer said. Tuseed was arrested and sent to a 14-day judicial custody in Tihar before he got out on a bail.
Speaking to Indian Express Delhi Police officials said after that day, the complainant has been absent and no further contact has been made with him.
Meanwhile, the Vice-president Kunal Sherawat had assumed the office while the secretary, Mahamedhaa Nagar, and joint secretary, Uma Shankar, were yet to collect office keys from the proctor’s office.

 

Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

 

Sandeep Samal

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IN CONVERSATION WITH: Rocky Tuseed, the DUSU President for 2017-18

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Be it hiccups like the election officials cancelling his nominations, or reliefs like the High Court allowing him to contest the elections, or moments of ecstasy at finally winning the elections, Rocky Tuseed of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the newly elected President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) who is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Buddhist Studies, has seen it all in just a week’s time. In an exclusive interview with DU Beat, he discusses his ideas for the betterment of the University.

 

Q: You have been considerably active in politics this past year. From where did you start your venture into the field?

Ans: I joined Shivaji College in 2013; in my first year, I encountered several small problems like the non-functionality of the water-cooler, unavailability of Girls Common Room, etc. On being persuaded by my classmates, I contested and won the election for Executive Committee of DUSU, and that’s how it all started.

 

Q: Now that you are the DUSU President, what are the key areas you would like to personally focus on?

Ans: There are several areas that I am going to work on for the betterment of the students. Alongside working on every issue that has been mentioned in our manifesto, I will try to ensure that University students are entitled to metro passes because many students travel daily from far-off places.

 

Q: Providing affordable accommodation to students was one of the main agendas of NSUI this time. Given the fact that DUSU doesn’t have any power to construct hostels, how do you plan to see this promise fulfilled?

Ans: Although DUSU doesn’t have the authority and budget to construct hostels for students, we can certainly pressurise the University of Delhi (DU) administration to construct more hostels. The University returned nearly Rs 150 crore meant for infrastructure development to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) despite the fact that it has more than 95 acres of vacant land where it could have constructed new hostels. We will also take up the issue of implementation of the Room Rent Control Act with the Delhi government.

 

Q: Your campaign focused on ensuring transparency in the DUSU budget. How do you plan to turn these words into action?

Ans: We are planning to ensure maximum transparency in our budget allocation. We will try to upload all our bills that are sanctioned by the Union on the DU website if allowed. Or else, every bill will be uploaded on the NSUI website.

 

Q: How do you plan to ensure a violence-free campus wherein our academic spaces remain free from intimidation and political interference?

Ans: We will try to restrict outsiders entry into the University. No type of violence in the shadow of fake nationalism will be allowed under our leadership of the Union.

 

Q: With several hiccups, your campaign must have been hectic. What is that one moment that you recall as being particularly unique in the course of your entire campaign?

Ans: There was this moment of disappointment after my nomination was cancelled by the University authorities. But, as the High Court reinstated my candidature and allowed me to contest the polls, the whole team just cheered and we all shouted in joy. I will cherish that moment of small victory forever.

 

Q: In one line, what would be your motto as the DUSU President for the year 2017-18?

Ans: Ho gayi peer parvat si bighalni chahiye, is baar DU se nayi dhara nikalni chahiye. Ye buniad ab parde ki tarah hilne lage, maksad hamari hai ki ye buniyaad badalni chahiye.

(The University has encouraged new voices and ideas. These very foundations are shaking now due to a new wave of change.)

 

Srivedant Kar

[email protected]

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DUSU Elections 2017

Allegations of Criminal Offences Put Rocky Tuseed’s Presidential Post in Jeopardy

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Newly elected Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) President, Rocky Tuseed now faces a setback to his victory run. On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to him after an intervening application held him guilty of concealing personal facts, including his arrest on criminal charges. The application was filed by Suman Chauhan and Jivesh Tiwari, counsel for Rajat Choudhary, the Presidental candidate of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhya Parishad (ABVP). This September, Tuseed broke a five-year spell when he was elected as the first President of the DUSU from the National Students Union of India (NSUI) since 2012. The controversial candidate won the election with 16,299 votes, beating Choudhary who gained 14,709 votes.

The Allegation

The ABVP has played the Lyngdoh trump card; a recurring move in University elections across the country. The Lyngdoh committee guidelines which were implemented in May 2006 are to be followed in the Students’ Union elections in order to establish accountability, transparency, and discipline. The complainants have claimed that Tuseed hasn’t abided by these guidelines in his run for President.

Firstly, the application claims that Tuseed did not disclose that an FIR had been registered against him in Rajouri Garden on August 6, 2014, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint). It also mentions that he was sent to judicial custody on August 28, 2014, to September 15, 2014.In this respect, the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines state: The candidate shall not have a previous criminal record, that is to say, he should not have been tried and/or convicted of any criminal offence or misdemeanour. The candidate shall also not have been subject to any disciplinary action by the University authorities.

Secondly, the application alleges that Tuseed had been given ‘essential repeat’ in two semesters while pursuing a Masters in Buddhist Studies in the academic session 2016- 2017. The Lyngdoh committee states that “the candidate should in no event have any academic arrears in the year of contesting election”.

The NSUI stance

The NSUI has defended Tuseed by refuting charges in a press release earlier today. It accuses Choudhary of approaching the Delhi High Court on the basis of a false FIR which was registered by the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government in August 2014 against a group of students, during the 2014 DUSU elections. According to the NSUI, the complainant had withdrawn the case against Tuseed within a month. They’ve also pointed out the fact that the newly elected ABVP DUSU Secretary, Mahameda Nagar is also being investigated in a criminal case filed by the Dean of Faculty of Law.

A bumpy presidential run

This is the third time that Tuseed has been accused of disciplinary charges. When the Delhi University’s Chief Election Officer’s (CEO) office released their list of candidates on 5 September, the NSUI candidate, Tuseed’s name had not been mentioned on “disciplinary grounds”. The NSUI had then sought to campaign for an independent candidate, Alka, until the High Court acquitted him of charges on 9 September, two days before the DUSU elections. This arbitrariness had also dogged his presidential run in the Department of Buddhist Studies last year. The election commission had cleared him to contest the election which he subsequently went on to win.

In the running for this year’s DUSU election, ABVP candidate, Choudhary had also been caught up in controversy. Independent candidate Raja Choudhary had been given police protection following his complaint to the police and the chief election commissioner, in which he alleged that he had been beaten up and threatened by the ABVP candidate. According to Raja, the ABVP candidate had feared that the students would get confused between the two names- Raja Choudhary and Rajat Choudhary, and would mistakenly vote for the other candidate rather than the candidate of their choice.

What now?

Justice Indermeet Kaur has sought a reply from Tuseed on November 15. The High Court has termed the alleged concealment on his part as “very serious”.

Keeping in mind the fact that the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines are more often flouted than not, students wonder whether any strong action will be taken against Tuseed. The same guidelines also mandate that candidates should not be affiliated with any national political party and that the campaigning expenditure per candidate should amount to ?5000. Yet, DUSU elections have been more about contesting parties than individual candidates. The expenditure requirement has also become a joke, so much so that when Tuseed cheekily announced in a discussion on national television that his total expenditure amounted to ?4800, every speaker laughed it off.

With inputs from The Indian Express

Image Credits: Financial Express

Swareena Gurung
[email protected]

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